In anatomy, a natural stoma is any opening in the body, such as the mouth, and essentially any hollow body organ can be surgically manipulated into an artificial stoma, if and as necessary. Examples of such organs are the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, ileum, colon, pleural cavity, ureters, and kidney pelves.
One well-known form of an artificial stoma is a colostomy, which is a surgically-created opening in abdominal wall where the large intestine exits, which allows the removal of feces out of the body, bypassing the rectum, to drain into a pouch or other collection device.
A stoma, as explained above, refers to a mouth-like part or opening, and in particular, it relates to a surgical procedure involving the gastrointestinal tract, GIT, or gastrointestinal system, GIS. The GIT begins at the mouth or oral cavity and continues until its termination, which is the anus. Such a surgical procedure is usually undertaken as a result of, and as a solution to, a disease in the GIT. The procedure involves bisecting the GIT or GIS, usually between the later stage of the small intestine, the ileum, and the large intestine or colon, hence colostomy, and exiting it from the body in the abdominal region.
The point of exiting is then a surgically created stoma. For the greatest success, and in order to minimize negative effects, it is preferable to perform this procedure as far down in the tract as possible, as this allows the optimal amount of natural digestion to occur before eliminating faecal matter from the body.
Traditionally, the stoma is usually covered with a removable pouching system (adhesive or mechanical) that collects and contains the output for later disposal. Modern pouching systems enable most individuals to resume reasonable normal activities and lifestyles after surgery. However, traditional pouching systems still cause a patient some discomfort.